1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hot melt adhesive composition which has excellent low temperature hot melting properties and which can be easily formed into pellets, powders, films, and laminates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various hot melt adhesive compositions have been used in various applications, and adhesive compositions containing an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as the main component have been especially and widely used in various applications. These hot melt adhesive compositions usually contain rosin, a modified rosin, an aromatic petroleum resin, and the like as tackifiers for the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in order to improve the adhesive properties of the copolymer. However, even though tackifiers have been added to the copolymers, it has been difficult to obtain products having substantially high adhesive properties. Accordingly, it has been necessary to add a large amount of the tackifier to improve the adhesive properties of the conventional adhesive compositions. Consequently, the characteristic broad processability of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers has been lost and the applications of the conventional adhesive compositions have been limited. For example, it has been difficult to shape the adhesive composition into a film or laminated layer.
A need, therefore, continues to exist for an ethylene-vinyl acetate adhesive composition which has substantial adhesive properties and which can be shaped into films or laminated layers.